21-04-2025
Minister of Housing: 70,000 plots distributed in 4 years
Muscat: The Majlis A'Shura will host Dr. Khalfan bin Saeed Al-Shuaili, Minister of Housing and Urban Planning, on Monday.
The session's agenda includes discussions on the statement to be issued by the minister.
The statement will include 5 segments based on the national strategy for urban development, legislation and laws regulating the housing sector, digital transformation, simplifying procedures, and future challenges and opportunities for sustainable cities and integrated residential neighborhoods.
Highlights:
The Ministry seeks to establish a sustainable institutional approach to the housing and urban planning sector, in cooperation with partners in the public and private sectors.
Plans to enhance family and investment stability by facilitating procedures, providing diverse housing options, and expediting licensing and ownership processes.
The Ministry is focusing on five future cities - Sultan Haitham City, Thuraya City, Sohar Future City, Salalah Future City, and Nizwa Future City, covering a total area of 39 million square meters, and 22 projects for integrated neighborhoods and residential plans.
In the past four years, around 70,000 plots of land were distributed.
The Ministry granted 20 licenses for real estate development projects during the period 2022-2024, with an investment value of RO500 million, including neighborhood projects and integrated residential plans.
The Minister of Housing and Urban Planning confirmed that the Social Housing Program benefited 4,923 families during the period (2021-2024), as 216 units were allocated within the integrated residential neighborhood projects to support housing assistance, in addition to allocating around 1,000 units in Sultan Haitham City (SHC).
The idea of moving the Mabela Industrial City will entail huge financial costs.
National plans needed to relocate industrial areas and challenges include weak infrastructure, truck congestion, car showrooms in residential areas, in addition to the housing for expatriate workers.
The Greater Muscat Master Plan has received His Majesty's blessing, and the Ministry has already begun work on its implementation. He noted that it includes a clear vision for housing, land, and space requirements.
The Ministry welcomes all investors in the Al Khuwair Downtown Project, noting that there were more than 30 applications expressing interest in investing, at least 30% of which came from Omani investors, and the Ministry is was open to foreign investments.
